SACRAMENTO, Calif.— In response to a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity and allies, the California Department of Fish and Game recommended Aug. 8 that the Fish and Game Commission make the gray wolf a candidate for protection under the California Endangered Species Act. The decision comes as OR-7 — the first wolf in California in more than 80 years — continues to roam Northern California, and as the feds consider removing federal Endangered Species Act protections. The Commission will vote on Game and Fish’s recommendation in early October.

“We’re glad the Department of Fish and Game agrees that the gray wolf deserves consideration for protection under the California Endangered Species Act,” said Noah Greenwald, the Center’s endangered species director. “California has hundreds of square miles of excellent wolf habitat, but if wolves in the state are going to increase from one to many, they need the protection of the California Endangered Species Act.”

Gray wolves are currently protected by the federal Endangered Species Act as part of the lower 48 population, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has stated that it intends to remove this protection, casting doubt on whether federal protection will remain. Moreover, neither the Fish and Wildlife Service nor the California Department of Fish and Game have developed a recovery plan for wolves in California. Such a plan would specify management actions needed to protect and recover the species and establish population targets.

“California needs a road map for recovering wolves,” said Greenwald. “Wolf populations in neighboring states will continue to expand, and more wolves will almost certainly show up in California. These wolves will need protection when they arrive.”

Between wolves crossing the border from Canada and efforts to reintroduce them into Yellowstone National Park, wolf populations have continued to grow in the northern Rocky Mountains and Oregon and Washington. The wolf known as Journey, or OR-7, who arrived in California in December, came from a pack formed in 2008 when wolves moved from Idaho to the Wallowa Mountains in northeast Oregon.

“Wolves have been an integral part of North American landscapes, including that of California, for millions of years and are cherished, iconic animals that deserve a certain future,” said Greenwald. “The return of wolves to California will help restore the natural balance and reverse the historic wrong done by people who shot, poisoned and persecuted wolves into oblivion.”

Wolves are a keystone species that benefit their prey populations by culling sick animals and preventing the overpopulation of species such as deer. Studies of the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park show that they benefit numerous other species as well, including pronghorn and foxes, by controlling coyote populations; they help songbirds and beavers by dispersing browsing elk and allowing recovery of the streamside vegetation that songbirds and beavers need.

The Center was joined in the petition by Big Wildlife, the Environmental Protection Information Center and Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center.